Photo Highlight Reel…

Highlight Reel…

My brain and heart haven’t been in a place to write a newsletter…. usually my head is spinning all month long with what I want to share. This month it just hasn’t. We decided a highlight reel of images from this last term in Madagascar would be a fantastic substitute… I mean, who doesn’t love photographs– it’s honestly one of my love languages! Easier said than done though– the first cut of images was 168, then dropped to 143, then 122 and back up to 125 and finally down to a little more than 70!

Lavishing the moms on Malagasy Mother’s Day complete with a boat trip to a secluded beach and picnic lunch served by our kids!

Ready to plant…

Mahabana fishing village

Sixteen missionary kids ages 1-12 years old!

Enjoying laughter with Elizabeth at her coffee stand. You may remember that Elizabeth recently passed away.

Gavin learning from the Eden Planters

Eden planter at Antsanitia

Horicia and newborn son, Jean Bryan at a postpartum home visit

Cooling off poolside on a Saturday afternoon

Genotine crafting a necklace for Sarobidy Creations

Praying over a new mom and baby

Total solar eclipse… traditional Malagasy explanation is that the sun goes to sleep so what better way to wake up the sun than beating on pots and pans

Planting at the Antsanitia reforestation site

Preparing columns for a 200,000 pot nursery at Papamena

Roasting cashews from the trees above

Rejoicing over God’s provision of an ambulance for the Sarobidy Maternity Center

Worshipping on Easter morning, 2016

Eden Reforestation Projects dry deciduous seed house

Surprise! Grampy joined Grammy to Madagascar!

Family mangrove planting always ends in a massive

mud war

Mahabana Estuary

Catching up. I was present at this little girl, Fitahiana’s birth 5 years ago… and it was this birth that gave me hope as this mama quickly embraced her newborn daughter moments after birth as I handed her her baby.

Beautiful Selah loved and taught our kids so well!

Enjoying a meal in the remote village of Mahabana

Isabella rowing a lakana in Mahabana

Halloween!

Beautiful Marcello

One of the first babies born at the

Sarobidy Maternity Center

Collecting water to water seedlings at the Papamena Eden nursery

Church service in Mahabana

Because everyone should get in a bathtub with a baby crocodile at least once in their life

Signing the official documents for the purchase of the Sarobidy Maternity Center property

Santa Barbara friends and fishing buddies

An absolute dream come true with our first Sarobidy Creations photoshoot thanks to the talented Josh and Kristen!

Data collection

First ultrasound performed on Elizabeth at the

Sarobidy Maternity Center

Providing prenatal care in the remote village of Mahabana

Women rejoicing with women over the birth of

a new baby

Students learning at the school built in Mahabana

Eden Projects planter at Antsanitia

Ladies sign in for Prenatal Day at the

Sarobidy Maternity Center

Friday afternoon soccer with the community and missionary kids

super-dads on Father’s Day

Danielle rejoicing in a healthy birth of a sweet baby

Sarobidy Creations artisans learning to sew

Friends Isabella and Jocya delighting in their friend’s newborn baby sister born through the maternity center

Keeping Christmas traditions alive with homemade gingerbread houses

Kyle etching donor’s names into the wet cement of the maternal waiting home

My mom, Sue, holding this miracle baby on a

postpartum home visit

Foot washing followed by a pedicure for graduating women from the Maternity Center

Sweet Rosie the lemur at our house

Eden employees heading out to Antanamarina to train new staff in the development of a nursery

A modified Skee-ball version using a broken dug-out canoe for Eliana’s birthday party

Celebrating Jamie’s 40th with friends

Raw eggs cracked on your head is the birthday tradition in Madagascar– hair nourishment?

A very pregnant Genotine hanging out at the maternity center with her daughter, born through the maternity center nearly three years earlier. PC: Josh Jensen

After declaring that she hadn’t celebrated her birthday with grammy since she was 2 years old, Eliana and grammy are finally together seven years later on her 9th birthday!

Loading up seedlings for transport to the planting site

So thankful for friends that are family and pour into the lives of our kids

Celebrating Vanah’s hardwork and dedication at her

High School Graduation

Sweet friendships

Just the best! PC: Kristen Gough

Enjoying one last time together with the 2016-2017 missionary team in Mahajanga– Carlstrom’s, Jensen’s, Gough’s, Bright’s and Shattenberg’s.

Truly a year like no other.

Arrived!!!

We’re thrilled to share with you that new teammates, Ando and Elke and kids arrived in Madagascar last week! Thanks to all who prayed for their visas! They are settling in to life in Mahajanga and will start ministry soon. Please continue to pray with us for their ongoing transition.

If you missed the introduction to Ando and Elke in our newsletter two months ago, click here to meet this wonderful family!

Speaking of transitions…

Thanks for praying for our family in our transition back to the USA. In some ways, it’s been an easier transition than in years past and in other ways, it’s been a harder transition. Please join us in praying for our kids– we’re finding that as they get older they’re having to navigate social pressures in ways that they haven’t encountered in the past.

Thank you for the gift of your partnership– for your sacrificial giving that allows us to live and work in Madagascar, for rejoicing with us in the highlights as pictured above and carrying us in prayer as we experience the inevitable lowlights that we often don’t broadcast. In all and through all, the Lord is good and His love endures forever.